This invention relates to one-man removable camper-top configurations, dual-purpose skiffs, dual-prupose pickup-truck camper-tops; and more particularly, it relates to convenient one-man means of removing or reinstalling a pick-up truck's camper-top, and to those types of shell like hulls convertible into a more compact embodiment.
Heretofore, if one wished to detatch their pickup-truck's camper-top for functional use of the vehicle as a true pickup-truck to haul various large items, such as a stove or refrigerator, it has been considered a major chore; in as much as the shell is not only cumbersome and heavy, but the shell-structures are simply not really built with the impulsive notion in mind of quick and easy removal for an afternoon's access to the truck-bed. Additionally, there's also a need for a way to make use of the shell-structure as a portion of a sport-skiff type of recreational-boat.
Background research discovery provides some prior patent-art regarded as germane to this disclosure, for example U.S. Pat. No. 3,473,839 (filed: August 1967) teaches a "combined pick-up truck camper-body and houseboat", showing a rudimentary one-piece boat-hull inverted and positioned so that it's bow extends forward above the windshield of a 1967 style pick-up truck cab, while the stern portion extends well aftward of the truck's tailgate region. Below this arrangement are installed numerous separate planar panel-sections, some of which are windowed, making up a provisional pilot-house enclosure of the hull, once the entire assemblage were extricated from the vehicle and inverted right side up. Also provided is a planar panel which converts the windowed panel enclosure portion into a more conventional appearing camper-top, absent of the boat-hull portion; and in either embodiment, the installed assemblage is secured in place via four vertical turnbuckle devices at each corner of the rig. The structure does not appear to lend itself to one-man installation or removal.
In U.S. Pat. No. 3,522,967 (filed: March 1968) a "combination camper-top and houseboat" is shown, wherein again, the hull portion is inverted with the prow extending above the cab proximal to the windshield region. No explaination as to just how this fully assembled rig is manouvered as to install or remove it from the pick-up bed, even given a team of men; but in one mode of usage it's a houseboat floating on water, in the alternate mode of usage, it's shown installed inverted upon the truck as a happy-camber.
In U.S. Pat. No. 3,833,954 (September 1974) a "floatable telescoping transportable shelter" is tought, wherein three inter-nesting progressively smaller shell sections as shown to telescope out from retraction within the largest section,--until their perimeter flanges interlock to limit further extension therefrom. When once rendered fully retracted into a compact unitary appearing container, the nested assemblage is tipped 90-degrees over so that opposed wheels ride upon the ground, and a provisional hitch-structure is coupled to a separate conventional vehicle for drive away. Unfortunately, the stepped sections (when fully telescoped as a shelter) would not lend at all to a very efficient hull, owing to the hydrodynamic-drag imposed by the stepped configuration.
In U.S. Pat. No. 3,916,468 (filed: April 1974) a two or three section canoe-hull is tought, wherein each section is formed discretely as water-tight vessel portions, which are joined positively together via a dove-tailed tongue-and-groove arrangement at opposite lateral regions of the transverse abuting vertical-wall portions forming bulkhead like members. There is no contemplation as to spatially inter-nesting, or carrying upon a truck-bed.
In U.S. Pat. No. 3,933,112 (filed: November 1973) a camper-van appearing vehicle is festooned with boat-like appendages(attached prow, attached transom, etc.) purporting to convert a standard land-bus into an amphibious vehicle; including a separately removable roof-boat, again inverted to form a van-top portion.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,052,761 (filed: October 1977) a "cartop trunk boat" is tought, wherein three discretely floatable hull-units are compactly nested into a forth inverted section, thereby forming an enclosed container during cartop transit to the water-side. To deploy as a skiff-boat, the stern is lifted away and upturned to the ground; where the remaining sections are somehow lifted-up out of the next one, and arranged in forward tapering portions having smoothly abutted surface transitions, so that the forth section forms the bow. Then, each section is interconnected via tongue & groove entities provided at the bottom of the hull surfaces (a peg & hole indexing method is employed at the transversely opposed hull-sides thereto) to the abutting water-tight transome-wall of the adjoining section, so that a substantially rigid aggregate assemblage is attained. If the individual hull-sections are made of light-weight fiberglass or vacuum-formed ABS-sheets, this could possibly constitute a one-man operation. However, the number of repetitive hull-section assembly steps involved, would be rather laborious; to the extent that one would probably seldom enjoy it's use.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,220,370 (filed: November 1978) a pick-up truck-bed camper-top of rather conventional external appearance is shown, wherein is provided a second internally nested section also having four vertical walls; whereby vertical telescoping of the exterior section(having the roof portion), thus extends the height of the camper-top some 21/2-feet, serving to give a more comfortable interior spaciousness.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,236,474 (filed: October 1978) for a "convertible boat/canopy", is perhaps the most relevant of the prior patent-art, for it employs a quasi-catamaran style boat-hull aftward section in inverted attitude above right and left vertical side-panels, the panels of which rest upon the truck-bed's right and left side-walls. This arrangement disadvantageously positions the inverted-hull section considerably above the cab of the truck, resulting in a considerable amount of aerodynamic-drag. The patent's FIG. 16(exploded) shows how twin bow-sections are adapted into catamaran configuration; each section employing a vertically dove-tailed tongue-and-groove manner whereby the interior of the camper-modality is unfortunately taken-up by the storage therein of the two frontal-hull sections.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,289,348 (filed: September 1979) is shown a "van-top conversion & boat combination", wherein a so-called bubble-top(vertically extended) van is provided with another like shaped outer shell portion, which is removable and inverted for use as a small boat.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,420,181 (filed: June 1981) is shown an ordinary pick-up truck, wherein a small one-piece boat(having dual-hull appendages) is positioned bow-forward over the truck's bed. Included are dual-lateral fluid-cylinders, which either swing-up the aft end of the boat as a hatch, giving access to the truck-bed; or, the fluid-cylinders are also arranged on a longitudinal pivotal-axis, so that the operator may swing the entire boat aftward until the longitudinal-axis is perpendicular to the ground, where it may be detatched and lowered to the shore.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,522,143 (filed: January 1983) is shown a cabin-boat with an over-folding stern-section, enabling the boat to be converted into a towable trailer combination.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,789,196 (filed: September 1986) is shown an ordinary pick-up truck, wherein is provided an aftwardly extendible canvas accordian-pleated camper-top having variably spaced top-bow members sliding upon a longitudinal-extrusion bolted to the truck-bed gunwales; but no conversion to a boat modality is contemplated. Also, U.S. Pat. No. 4,789,197 (filed: June 1987) showed a like pick-up truck which bed portion is provided with a special inner-sliding(upon the truck-bed gunwales) retractable 3-section(2-slide) hard security-cover structure; but again which provides no conversion to a boat modality.
Finally, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,923,242 (filed: April 1988) is shown a pick-up truck-bed camper-top assembly having a special inverted-boat caping portion applied thereover, which is shaped in the form of a light-weight boat; whereby the stern aligns over the tail of the camper structure, while the bow aligns with the slope of the truck's windshield. Included are lateral tail-rollers on the cap, and struts joining the cap to the camper-top midship, act to guide the movement of the boat during both loading and unloading procedures.
Therefore, in view of the preceding patent-art, it is better understood that there is a need for a further improved product of this sort, which is the present subject of this instant invention to be known as the SHELLFISH.TM.-Combotop presently under auspices of the Matheson Mfg./Mkt. Co. of SanDiego, Calif.